Station: Grosse Isle, MI

The Michigan Central depot at Grosse Isle. This depot served as the entrance to Michigan and the United States from Amherstberg, Ontario. A ferry was used to cross trains on the Detroit River to Stony Island, then across a fixed bridge to Grosse Isle island and this depot. [Dale Berry photo] (Below) Another photo of a depot at Grosse Isle taken around 1900. This is apparently the original depot which was in place until the newer depot was built in 1904. [Library of Congress collection]

Below, an early photo of the Michigan Central station at Grosse Isle, with a small water tower in the background. [Alan Loftis Collection]

Grosse Isle was an important international border for the Michigan Central and the Canada Southern Railroad, which was owned by the MCRR. The route from the east, through southern Ontario was to be the original main crossing point on the Detroit River, and for a while it was. Rail cars, both passenger and freight, were put on river ferries at Amherstburg, and piloted across the Detroit River to Stony Island, which was a small island directly east of Grosse Isle. A bridge was built connecting Stony Island and Grosse Isle, and a station and customs office were established there (on the east edge of Grosse Isle). The tracks then continued west and crossed another bridge to the mainland. They connected with the MCRR's Detroit to Toledo route at Slocum Junction, just east of that bridge. Travelers could go north (to Detroit) or south (to Toledo) from Slocum Junction. For a time travelers could also go due west through Flat Rock and Dundee on an ill-fated route that was once slated as a competing route to Chicago until Vanderbilt interests bought control of the Canada Southern to eliminate the competition. This route which was due west from Slocum Junction became the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton, the Detroit, Toledo & Milwaukee, and the Fayette Branch of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern depending on the location.